(Reuters) –Russia will pursue legal action if it is forced to default on sovereign debt by the West, Anton Siluanov, the Finance Minister, told pro-Kremlin Izvestia on Monday. This heightened Moscow’s position in the West’s financial battle with Russia.

Siluanov said in an interview that he was certain that he would sue because he had taken every step to make sure investors received their money.

We will bring in our bills to court, confirming that we have tried to pay in both foreign currency as well as in roubles. This will be a difficult process. The case will need to be made, even with all of the obstacles.

Siluanov didn’t elaborate further on Russia’s legal options.

Russia is facing its first sovereign default externally in over a century. Russia made agreements to repay international bonds in Russian roubles this week, despite the fact that it was due in U.S. Dollars.

Siluanov stated last week that Russia would do all it can to ensure its creditors receive their payments.

Siluanov stated Monday that Russia tried to repay external creditors in good faith. “Nevertheless, Western countries have a deliberate policy to create man-made defaults by any means.”

Siluanov stated that Russia’s foreign liabilities account for about 20% of its total debt. This was approximately 21 trillion rubles ($261.7 billion). A total of 4.5-4.7 Trillion roubles was made up of external liabilities.

Russia has not fallen behind on its foreign debt since its 1917 Revolution, however its bonds are now an issue in Russia’s economic dispute with Western countries.

It was impossible to imagine a default until very recently. Russia, which had been rated investment grade prior to the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2014, called it “special military operation”. This Sunday, however, saw an increase in violence in eastern Ukraine.

Siluanov stated that if an economic or financial war is declared against our country we will have to respond while also fulfilling our obligations. It is not permitted to be done in foreign currency. We must do it with roubles.

($1 = 80.2500 roubles)